It’s Mumbai not ‘Bambai’, Uddhav reminds Prithviraj

MUMBAI - Reacting against Maharashtra chief minister-to-be Prithviraj Chavan’s use of the word “Bambai” for referring to Mumbai, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday said he should take tuitions.

“Prithviraj Chavan should join tuition classes if he doesn’t know that his office is in Mumbai, not ‘Bambai’,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray, however, welcomed Chavan as the state’s new chief minister.

But, he said, the Congress must take action against all the tainted ministers suspected of involvement in scams.

“If tainted ministers are included in the state ministry, we will protest,” he said.

“The Congress should also feel ashamed that it had to select a chief minister for Maharashtra from outside of the state. It clearly shows that Maharashtra Congress has no candidate fit to become chief minister,” he added.

Printiviraj Chavan was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and was educated at the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS), Pilani in Rajasthan and University of California, Berkeley. He was minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Uddhav’s cousin, also said that the use of the word “Bambai” in the context of Mumbai will not be tolerated.

“Chavan is going to be the chief minister of this state. He should not be calling Mumbai as ‘Bambai’,” Raj said.

Prithviraj Chavan, 64, replaces Ashok Chavan, whose resignation as the state chief minister was accepted by the Congress leadership following allegations of his association with Mumbai’s Adarsh housing society scam.

Prithviraj Chavan was Wednesday named leader of the Congress legislature party in Maharashtra, paving the way for him to become the next chief minister of the state.